453. Editorial Note
On December 13, the Representative of Syria informed the President of the Security Council of the Israeli attack on December 11–12 in the area east of Lake Tiberias and called for a meeting of the Security Council. (U.N. doc.S/3505)
The Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, in a report dated December 15 and in a supplementary statement dated December 30, observed that Israel had linked the Lake Tiberias attack with the shelling of Israeli fishing boats and their police escorts in the lake, but concluded that there was a striking disparity between the scale of retaliation and the provocation that the Israeli Government had cited. (U.N. doc.S/3516 and Add. 1, and Add. 1/Corr. 1)
The Security Council considered the Syrian complaint on December 16 and 22 and at six meetings between January 9 and 19, 1956. (U.N. docs.S/PV. 707–715) On December 22, the Representative of Syria introduced a draft resolution in which the Security Council would: 1) condemn Israel for the “outrageous attack”; 2) decide that the attack constituted aggression under Article 39 of the United Nations Charter; 3) call upon Members to apply economic sanctions and to expel Israel from the United Nations; and 4) decide that Israel should pay adequate compensation. (U.N. doc.S/3519) On January 9, 1956, the Representative of the Soviet Union submitted amendments to replace paragraphs 2) and 3) with paragraphs calling upon Israel to take all necessary measures to prevent such actions and warning Israel that their recurrence would require the Security Council to consider the application of Article 39 of the Charter. (U.N. doc.S/3528)
On January 11, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States submitted a draft resolution, by which the Security Council would note that, according to the reports of the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, the attack deliberately violated the provisions of the General Armistice Agreement, including those relating to the Demilitarized Zone. It would also [Page 855] note that there had been interference by the Syrian authorities with Israeli activities on Lake Tiberias, in contravention of the Armistice Agreement. By the operative part of this draft resolution, the Security Council would: 1) remind Israel that it had already condemned military action in breach of the General Armistice Agreements and had called upon Israel to take effective measures to prevent such actions; 2) condemn the attack of December 11, 1955, as a flagrant violation of the cease-fire provisions of its resolution of July 15, 1948 (U.N. doc.S/902), of the terms of the Armistice Agreement, and of Israel’s obligations under the United Nations Charter; 3) express its grave concern at Israel’s failure to comply with its obligations; 4) call upon Israel to do so in the future, in default of which the Council would have to consider what further measures were required to maintain or restore peace; 5) call upon the parties to comply with their obligations under the terms of the General Armistice Agreement to respect the Armistice Demarcation Line and the Demilitarized Zone; 6) request the Chief of Staff to pursue suggestions for improving the situation in the area of Lake Tiberias; and 7) call upon both parties to cooperate with the Chief of Staff in this and all other respects, to carry out the provisions of the Armistice Agreement in good faith, and in particular to make full use of the Mixed Armistice Commission’s machinery in the interpretation and application of its provisions. (U.N. doc.S/3530 and Corr. 1)
On January 12, Iran proposed amendments to the three-power draft resolution that would: delete the reference in the preamble about Syrian interference on Lake Tiberias; replace paragraph 4) of the operative part with a paragraph declaring that such actions in the future would constitute a breach of the peace within the meaning of Article 39 requiring consideration by the Council of the measures provided for in Chapter VII; delete paragraph 5); and add a new paragraph requiring Israel to pay adequate compensation. (U.N. doc.S/3532)
The sponsors of the three-power draft resolution revised their text on January 17 and again on January 18. (U.N. docs.S/3530/Rev. 2 and S/3530/Rev. 3) New paragraphs were added whereby the Council would hold that Syrian interference with Israeli activities on Lake Tiberias in no way justified Israel’s action and call upon the parties to arrange with the Chief of Staff for an immediate exchange of all military prisoners.
On January 18, Yugoslavia submitted another draft resolution. According to it, the Security Council would: 1) condemn the attack of December 11–12, 1955; 2) call upon Israel to refrain from such military action in the future; 3) consider that Syria was entitled to compensation; and 4) request the Chief of Staff to take appropriate [Page 856] steps for the release of prisoners taken in this action. (U.N. doc.S/3536)
The Security Council, by 8 votes to 2, with 1 abstention, decided to grant priority in voting to the revised three-power draft resolution of January 18. (U.N. doc.S/3530/Rev. 3) The Council unanimously adopted this measure on January 19. (U.N. doc.S/3538) The Council did not vote on the other draft resolutions.